Multi-tasking my way into a mess…

Step one (after Reedy Girl left for school at O-dark-ridiculous and Bearded Spouse headed to work) was to do a quick change and refill of the fish tank. And while I was doing that, get some clean-up and pick-up done in the clutter-catching zone of the kitchen. It was a plan.

Except…

I didn’t clip the siphon’s hose to the inside of my bucket. It fell out as the bucket started to fill. But I didn’t notice. And since I didn’t hear the bucket “sound” like it was getting full, I forgot about it.

Until… I heard a funny “blub-blub-blub” sound. And a sizeable pool of stinky aquarium water was all over the dining room carpet.

[Expletive deleted.]

I finished the water change, cleaned up the mess, soaking and mopping up as much water as I could from the carpet. And then put two fans on the carpet and pad to try and dry them out.

Sigh.

Yeah, that’s going to take a while to dry out.

In the mean time, as I mopped and rinsed and mopped some more, I had some time to think about my habit of multi-tasking.

I’m usually pretty good at multi-tasking, and there are a LOT of things in this world that don’t require my undivided attention. For instance, doing dishes or laundry and chatting with family. Or maybe watching TV and scanning my emails.

But… so many times I am multi-tasking and not giving my full attention to things that matter. Like people. And slightly messy tasks like cleaning a fish tank.

And God. Even stopping for a time of daily prayer and reading, my brain can already be on a list of minutiae that I am trying to remember I need to do. And instead of really REALLY listening, focusing, and responding to the God-moments, I’m already half-way somewhere else.

The carpet will dry. The floor is fine. The fish don’t particularly care. The cats are fascinated by the smells. I’m just trying to remember to do one thing at a time today. That seems to be plenty.